ute; Cluny seem just a touch more refined than its siblings. The kitchen strays into a bit of French, a little rustic American, and also offers some hits from Spain and Italy too. There’s the requisite frisee salad with lardons and a poached egg ($12), a roasted all-natural chicken with autumn vegetables ($23), a duck confit with brussel sprouts and jus ($23), and a hanger steak frites with Swiss chard and garlicky butter ($25).

Kiri and I were there for dinner last week, and we started with a beautiful salad of baby beets in garnet, ruby, gold, and rose. The jewel-toned roots were piled into a neat circle topped with sweet, fleshy mission figs and slivers of mild aged goat cheese (($12.50). The salad was beautiful, like something from a new bauble line from Harry Winston, but it could have used a bit more balance against the sweetness—some fennel, some citrus, some spark. The celery root soup ($9) however, was perfect. It was creamy and silky, and topped with torn pieces of duck confit. Hidden in the soup’s velvety depths were firm little nuggets of caramelized pears, little treasures that gave the soup a nice note of texture and added a dimension of sweetness.

The moment our appetizers were cleared, however, our entrees arrived. We didn’t even have time to order another glass of wine, which was a little upsetting. The kitchen’s timing is a little off, which is understandable at such an early stage, but we did feel rushed. We wanted time to sit back and relax and talk and people-watch in between courses. Kiri had just gotten back from some exotic travels and we had a lot to catch up on. So we had a few bites just to make sure we got some food while it was hot and then sat back, talked and observed. A few girlfriends were huddled at the bar pulling lean golden frites from a silver cup and nibbling on plates piled high with frisee. A party of six, who had walked in without a reservation, was enjoying some cocktails as the manager graciously accommodated them without issue. Two very handsome men who looked famous waited at the edge of the bar to be seated. They looked only at each other. The air in the room was hazy and golden. It felt like a clip from an old foreign movie.

After our sightseeing break, we dug in. Two big hunks of braised short rib ($28) were paired with a slab of nicely seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras, glossy potato puree and roasted root vegetables. The short ribs were good&md ... [more, click below]